A Global Vision for the Local Church

10 Global Mission Books You Should Read #GlobalFest

A Time for Mission, The Challenge for Global Christianity, by Samuel Escobar An excellent, thought-through reflection on the place of mission in the Church in the light of the changes that we are going through in the world today.

Changing the Mind of Missions, Where have we gone wrong? By James F. Engel and William A. Dyrness This is the best non-technical, look at the way in which we do mission needs to adapt in the light of changes in the world and our growing understanding of Scripture.

Dynamic Diversity, by Bruce Milne What does a missionary church look like? This book gives an inspiring vision of what the church can look like and achieve in our multicultural world. Bruce Milne’s excellent book Dynamic Diversity makes a compelling case for the revolutionary, missional potential of the communal life of the local church.

Kingdom Without Borders, The Untold Story of Global Christianity, by Miriam Adeney Undoubtedly the best book about what God is doing around the world today. Fascinating and challenging stories from the church in every part of the world. There are other books about the growth of the world church that are more numbers or statistically orientated, but this is the most inspiring.

Operation World, by Jason Mandryk Pray for the nations systematically with this iconic prayer guide. A mine of information, your personal or prayer meeting prayers cannot help but be fuelled by this great book.

Shadow of the Almighty, by Elizabeth Elliott This old book will challenge your commitment to Christ and your passion to make him known. Jim Elliott, a pioneer missionary to the Auca Indians in Ecuador. This book, by Jim’s wife Elizabeth, tells the story of Jim’s life, using passionate and moving excerpts from Jim’s diaries.

Through Gates of Splendour, by Elizabeth Elliot This is another old book, but a good one. It’s a cracking, inspiring story (the same story as Shadow of the Almighty, but from a different angle) of five young men who gave their lives to take the Gospel into the Amazon jungle. It’s a reminder of what is required if we are serious about reaching people for Christ.

The Cape Town Commitment (Didasko files) An inspirational little gem. The fruit of the 2010 Lausanne Congress in Cape Town. If you’re looking for a short but comprehensive statement on the mission of the church today, this is it.

The Mission of God’s People, by Chris Wright A brilliant introduction to biblical thinking on mission. Wright looks at Biblical themes (a ‘biblical theology’) that shape our missional engagement. It makes an accessible study book for individuals or groups, with helpful questions at the end of each chapter.

The Message of Mission (Bible Speaks Today), by Howard Peskett and Vinoth Ramachandra An excellent, non-technical, series of Bible studies on the importance and nature of mission.